I was away from Tuesday to Friday and missed out on watching pretty much anything on television's biggest week. But... thanks to a rainy Saturday and my DVR I made up for it and caught up with most of what I recorded.
Tuesday:
Glee
Tuesday's season premiere was promising, the writing was crisp (best line of the week; I can't work with Her!) and the hour more character driven as the writers promised. Except for Darren Criss (whose red pants and Tom Jones moves almost had me forget Chord for a moment) the musical numbers were rather lack luster. I HATE Kurt and Rachel duets but for some reason the show seems determined to make these two besties. Ryan Murphy promised Mike, Artie, Tina and Mercedes would be given more attention this season and although I think this is going to happen, it was not evident in the episode.
Wednesday:
Modern Family
The X Factor
I did record, but have yet to watch this weeks Modern Family. The show is on a high after it's well deserved sweep at last Sunday's EMMY'S. All of the attention seems to have gone to co-creator Steve Levitan's head as he took to twitter on Thursday to celebrate the shows rating win over The X Factor by saying; "It's extremely gratifying that a scripted comedy finally beat an over-hyped karaoke contest."
Although I understand his feelings, I think he might regret this at some point. Although the premiere episodes of The X Factor were nothing spectacular it would be a mistake to count the show out just yet. Idol continues to dominate the ratings and although there are far to many singing comps on tv I have a feeling The X Factor's slow start does not mean it won't be dominating the ratings once the audition phase is over. Besides the attributes of host Steve Jones, the formula has dragged in millions everywhere else it has aired. Like pretty much everyone else who has written about the show I agree it's desperation to have that 'Susan Boyle' moment is far to obvious and so clearly manipulative. Also, get Cheryl Cole back! If I do turn off this show it will most likely be because Nicole Scherzinger is about as appealing as moldy cheese.
Thursday:
Grey's Anatomy
When the season finale of Grey's Anatomy aired last spring I was pretty much worn out from what was my favorite television drama. The cast became so huge (do we really need any of those new interns...) that the core characters I loved (Meredith, Christina and Alex) seemed lost in the sea of new faces. The show seemed stale and the writing repetitive and tired. I DVR'd the season premiere, thinking I would watch the two hours in about twenty minutes, but surprise surprise the show hooked me back in. The show promises to focus on the core characters this season which I hope they do. I would still quickly give Teddy, Mark, Jackson and April the boot. Whatever purpose they once served is over.
Friday:
A Gifted Man
I love almost anything Patrick Wilson does (Little Children being my favorite PW film) but had very little hope for A Gifted Man. In reading about the show the theme seemed tired and the Friday night time slot seemed to indicate doom. But... the cast is so winning (including a standout performance by recent Emmy winner Margo Martindale)and the execution so flawless A Gifted Man ended up being my favorite hour of television of the week.
